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Sumter County is working to raise awareness of the importance of emergency preparedness within the communities of Sumter County. As part of this effort, the Sumter County Fire Department and Emergency Management Agency are organizing and revitalizing Community Emergency Response Teams.

"Every family, household, and business needs a plan on how they are going to respond in an emergency. Our goal is to train citizens so that we will be able to have a C.E.R.T. team large enough to handle any emergency that could arise within Sumter County." said Joe Pollock, Sumter County Fire Chief/EMA Director. "This training is very important. In cases of major catastrophes, first responders can take up to an hour to respond to an incident. C.E.R.T. members are able to help themselves and their neighbors and do so in an organized manner, with some specialized training. If necessary, they can also assist first responders when the arrive. A large disaster can overwhelm our resources. It is a big advantage to have someone out in the local community to step up; giving us a heads up before we even get to the scene. Having trained people out there who can help us prioritize is a big benefit."

C.E.R.T. is a program designed to provide citizens with what to expect following a major disaster, in terms of immediate service. It also provides them with mitigation and preparedness responsibilities and trains them in life-saving skills, organizing these teams to be an extension of first responder services, offering immediate help to victims until professional services arrive.

It is important for the people in the community to become aware of what they can and may have to do in an emergency. The benefits of the C.E.R.T. training reach far beyond those who attend.